With the participation of representatives of the delegations of Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Peru, Haiti, Guatemala, and Honduras, the launch of the Regional Phytosanitary Field Simulation for the Care and Protection of Planting and Production of Plantains and Bananas was held on April 24 in Nicaragua. The event was held in the Institute for Agricultural Protection and Health (IPSA) building, together with representatives of the FAO and the government cabinet.

Banana exports from Honduras generated 107.9 million dollars in foreign currency to the country’s economy during the first two months of 2023, an increase of 49.5 million dollars to that period of 2022, when sales totalled 58.4 million dollars. With these figures, bananas retake the second position as the product that generates the most foreign currency in Honduras, after coffee, which was temporarily occupied by crude palm oil at a specific moment.

The FAO diplomatic mission in Venezuela provides technical assistance on the presence of the Fusarium fungus in banana and plantain crops. The action, which will be carried out until March 10, aims to enrich knowledge to combat pests that affect food production in Venezuela. "We support the implementation of the national action plan for the response and prevention of Fusarium in the country, to strengthen institutional and producer capacities in biosafety, surveillance, and diagnostic measures," said the FAO representative in Venezuela.

The new routes of the banana industry will be the topic of discussion, analysis, and business that will take place during the 9th International Banana Congress, on its return and reunion with the banana sector after four years of absence. The National Banana Corporation (CORBANA), the governing body of the Costa Rican Banana Industry, is preparing a disruptive event for the entire fruit-producing sector worldwide. The International Banana Congress meeting point will be in Miami, Florida, at the Hyatt Regency hotel from May 23 to 26.

Between January and February 2023, Ecuadorian authorities seized 3.3 tons of narcotics more than in the same period in 2022. The Contecon docks, the main port of departure for the drug, would have their scanners operational in six weeks. While seaports work against the clock to implement scanner technology to review exportable cargo, the drug route is taking hold in these spaces. According to official data from the Police, between January and February 2023, 14.7 tons of drugs were seized in the four ports, which were going to different international destinations, especially Europe.

Intense competition in the liner industry is driving carriers to try and differentiate their business through technology or service developments. So far year, Seoul announced funds to attach internet-connected devices to allow Korean exporters to track containers, a service Hapag-Lloyd and forwarder Kuehne+Nagel also announced. At the same time, Maersk told its cold chain customers technology could help save energy on reefer boxes.

Banana selling prices in St Petersburg were around USD 23.95-24.60 per box CIF according to brand, quality, and volume. Demand was good and nearly 1.75 million boxes were discharged in week eight, and around 2.2 million are expected for week 9. The exchange rate USD/RUB was 1 USD=74.71 Ruble. Prices in the Mediterranean were USD 17.00-19.00 per box CIF for Ecuadorian bananas according to region, volume, brand, and weight of the box.

Ocean Network Express (ONE), the world's seventh-largest shipping line, has announced plans to equip its container fleet with "smart" technology. ONE has partnered with Sony Network Communications Europe to develop and integrate the technology. The intelligent container solution will help to give ONE greater insight into their container fleet by boosting visibility into container movements. Customers can also access live updates throughout a shipment's journey.

The Polish company Citronex, one of the largest importers and distributors of bananas in Europe, is developing their activities in Romania. The investment of a 50Ha greenhouse for tomato production was confirmed on January 17th by local authorities in Dumbrăveni, Sibiu County. "The investment will be made in several stages. The first 10 ha of a greenhouse will cost approximately 25 million euros and generate 120 jobs.

Inspired by classic Disney characters, Dole's "Fruit Love" initiative centres on beloved fruit tastes, dishes, and memories. The five-month initiative continues with downloadable assets plus new fruit-based comfort and DIY baby food recipes. The Fruit Love campaign launched with recipes, digital downloads and social interactions celebrating apples, bananas, strawberries, pineapples, peaches, pears and other farm-fresh favourites and their roles in many memorable dishes.

In 2022, Ecuador completed another year without Fusarium Race 4 (FocTR4) in its territory. The plague was detected in 2019 in Colombia (in the Guajira sector), in April 2021 in Peru (Piura) and Venezuela confirmed the presence of the fungus on January 19. The plague has not entered Ecuadorian territories yet, and from the public and private sectors, new initiatives are planned for this year so that it continues like this. The Ecuadorian Center for Biotechnological Research (CIBE - Espol), which celebrated its twentieth anniversary on January 27, presented three projects.

Fusarium Race 4 -TR4- is again setting off alerts in the region after it was confirmed in Venezuela, the third country in Latin America after Colombia and Peru. Ecuador remains free of the pest, as confirmed on January 26 by the Agency for Regulation and Phytosanitary and Zoo-sanitary Control (Agrocalidad).

From the 354.6 million boxes of bananas exported between January and December 2022 from Ecuador, 64.64% were exported from the port of Guayaquil. According to data provided by the Association of Banana Exporters of Ecuador (Aebe), the port became Ecuador's main banana export point.

A small working group would be formed to promote the export of Indian bananas, mainly traditional varieties and value-added fruit products, said M. Angamuthu, Chairman of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA). India was the largest producer of bananas in the world, yet it had a negligible share in the global banana trade and exported the fruit to just about 15 countries. Banana export could be increased by reaching out to the United States and European countries.

The company said that French-based shipping group CMA CGM had completed its withdrawal from the Russian market by divesting stakes in terminals through an asset swap. "With this finalized transaction and the decision to suspend all new bookings to and from Russia since March 1, 2022, the CMA CGM Group will no longer be involved in any entities operating in Russia," it said in an emailed statement.